Evaporating apparatus



C. F. PURINTON.

EVAPORATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT, 11, 1916'. 1,376,578. Patented y 3,1921.

2 SHEETSSHEET l.

C. F. PURINTON. EVAPQRATING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED SEPT-11,1916.

Patented May 3, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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UNITED STATES CHARLES F. PURINTON, OF BURLINGTON, VERMONT.

EVAPORATING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 3, 1921.

Application filed September 11, 1916. Serial No. 119,384.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES F. PURiN-' tion.

This invention relates to evaporating apparatus, such as syrup boxes or pans, used, for instance, in the extraction of maple syrup from the sap. These pans consists of a sheet metal structure embodyingcompartments in which the sap is initially poured and from which it flows to a plurality of suitably heated communicating flues which are divided in the direction of their length in order to cause the sap to flow over the maximum heated area before it reaches the opposite end of the box. In order to make the syrup from the sap during transit through the pans, it is necessary to run it at as low a depth as possible. Heretofore, the formation of these syrup ans or boxes, so far as known to me, has le t at each side of the pan a raised seam. This seam is objectionable in that it forms a shoal which is liable to scorch the shallow depth of sap and which breaks the continuity of the circulation spaces and forms at the end of each compartment a trap in which the sap collects and is prevented from further circulation.

The object of my invention is to construct an evaporating device or syrup box which will be free of the raised seam. This object is attained in the present invention by novel forms of blanks constituting the pan or syrup box and by novel methods of bending .the blanks into relations of interlocked assembly.

The construction and manner of assembling the pan is fully disclosed inv the specification which follows. In the drawings aocompanying that specification, I have shown a preferred embodiment of my invention. Throughout the specification and drawings like reference characters are applied to indicate corresponding parts, and in the draw- 1ngs:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a pan in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof.

Figs. 3 and 4 are detail sections on the lines 33 and H of Fig. 1.

Fig, 5 is a partial development of one of the duplicate blanks from which the side sections of the box are constructed, and

F 6 is a detail section on the line 66 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a detail view of one of the closures for the ends of the flues removed.

Fig. 8 is a detail section illustrating particularly the application of these closures to the flue ends.

Fig. 9 is a detail section on the line 99 of Fig. 10, and

Fig. 10 is a detail View of one of the flanged locking strips at the ends of the box, removed.

This pan consists of duplicate side sections to the adjacent portions of which intermediate flue sections are connected. The flue sections are formed in any desired manner and each section preferably comprises several interlocked flue units. Each side section is formed from a single piece of material which before bending has the development shown in Fig. 5. Inasmuch as the blanks are duplicated a description of one will suffice.

Each blank is bent to form a vertical portion 1, (Fig. 3) disposed transversely be tween and connecting the ends of the spaced end Walls 1 of the box, and itself constituting one of the vertical side walls of the syrup box, and having at each upright edge an inturned flange 2 adapted to be bent over the ends of said end walls 1 The side Wall 1 is bent along the dotted line 3, (Fig. 5) leaving an integral horizontal portion 4:, constituting the fiat unseained bottom of the syrup compartment S of which the portion forms the side Wall.

The bottom wall at has end flanges 5 similar to the flanges 2 and adapted to be bent over the bottom edges of the end walls 1 The parallel edge of the wall 4: is bent along the dotted line 6 leaving an integral portion 7 extending vertically downward below the plane of the bottom 4: and constituting one side wall of a flue unit. Inasmuch as the flue section is shorter than the side 1, the material constituting the side walls of the flue units is cut away at each end as shown, and short upwardly bent locking flanges 9 are formed near the ends of the bottom 4. The longitudinal edges of said portion 7 are bent inwardly to provide flanges 10. The

portion 7 is bent along the spaced dotted lines 11 and 12, leaving an intermediate section 13 constituting the horizontalrounded tom of flue unit.

bottom of a flue unit. The end edges of this section 13 are bent inwardly to provide flan cs 14. V

T e blank beyond said dotted line 12 extends as a portion 15 which is bent vertically upwardly along said line 12 to the plane of and parallel wlth the portion 7 and constitutes the opposite side wall of said flue unit. The end edges of the portion 15 are bent inwardly to provide flanges 16 adapted to overlap the flanges 10 and close the flue at each end thereof. The long edge of the portion 15 is bent transversely along the spaced dotted lines 17 and 18, leaving an intermedt ate section 19 constituting the rounded edge of the flue, and having at its ends short up turned flanges 19 Beyond the line 18, the blank extends as a narrow portion 20 constituting a" turned flange with which the similarly formed flange on the adjacent intermediate flue-unit section X interlocks.

There may be any desired number of flue section between the duplicate lateral sections 1 of the box, and each flue section consists of two or more connected units each comprising spaced side walls having closed bottoms, overlapping seamed ends and interlocked and closed seamed upper edges.

The overlapped edges 10 and 16 of the side walls 7--15 constitute the ends of a flue unit. Each end is made fluid-tight by a closure 21 (Fig. 6). This closure consists of a one-piece member tapered at the lower end as indicated at 22 and flared at its upper end 23. The lateral edges of the member 21 between the portions 22 and 23 are turned to provide flanges 2 1. These flanges are adapted to guide under the edges 10 and 16 as the closure is slid between said edges. The tapered end 22 seats in the space provided by the upturned flange it at the bot- The whole provides a fluid-tight joint.

The upper ends 23 of the individual closures are bent under the longitudinal flange 26 (Figs. 6 and 10) of a locking strip 25, and are thereby held in position. The opposite edge 27 of said strip is bent oppositely to the flange 26 to engage the flanged bottom edge of. an end wall 1 The strip 25 has downturned flanges 28 at each end adapted to be engaged and'held by the flanges 9 of theseamless bottom walls 4 of each flue section. There are two locking members 25, one at each side of the box. This construction provides a fluid-tight closure for the flue units as well as a seamless box structure. The syrup compartment S consists of the external side wall 1, an internal parallel wall or baffle 29, and the adjacent portions of the end walls 1 The internal wall 29 is secured in any desired manner to the bottom 2 of the syrup compartment and to the end walls of the box. Extending transversely of the compartment near one side 'and'secured to the walls 1 and 29 thereof in any desired manner is a vertical wall 30 defining with the included portions of the walls 1, 1 and 29 a float chamber or pocket 29 into which the cold sap is initially poured. This chamber has controlled communication with the syrup compartment, through a suitable plugged opening 30 in the wall 31 The sap flows from 29 to the flue units through a narrow slot 31 in the adjacent lower portion of the wall 29. This slot acts as a screen to prevent the foam of the boiling.

sap in the flues from rentering the float chamber 29 and interfering with the proper action of the float. The parallel wall 29 at the other side of this pan has also a narrow horizontal slot leading into the pocket 29 which communicates with the contiguous chamber S from which the liquid flows at 1 to return to the chamber S. This latter has a suitable discharge tap 1 Secured to the top faces 19-20 of certain flue units and to the end walls of the syrup box is a plurality of baflies 32 each having an opening at the bottom thereof to allow the sap to flow from one flue unit to another, and said openings arranged in staggered re lation whereby to cause the sap to flow over the maximum heated area.

It is understood that the evaporating pan as thus described is adapted to be arranged for a suitable heating structure and asso-' ciated' with such other apparatus as may be necessary to complete the process of treating the syrup. In practice, the sap to be treated is introduced into the pocket 29 at the lower left hand corner of the pan from which it passes through the shallow horizontal slot in the adjacent portion of the wall 29, as indicated by the dotted line, thence flowing longitudinally through the first flue compartment, passing under the opposite end of the first wall 32, thence changing its direction of flow and moving toward the left hand end of the next flue compartment, and passing the next wall 32, and again reversing its direction of flow, passing to the right and then again to the left in the last compartment, and finally into the pocket 29, from which pocket it passes through the aperture 30 in the wall 30 and flows through said chamber S and outwardly at 1 to any other suitable means in which the syrup is treated, returning from thence into the compartment S, as shown by the arrow, and from which it may be finally tapped off at 1".

'1. An evaporating pan comprising duplicate side sections and an intermediate flue section having its ends formed to receive closures, closures for said ends, and flat locking members engaging said closures and uniting said side sections and said flue sec tions.

2. An evaporating box comprising duplicate side sections and an intermediate flue section having its opposite edges interlocked with adjacent edges of said side sections and having its ends formed to receive closures, closures for said ends, and flat locking members engaging said closures and uniting said side sections and said flue sections and disposed in substantially the plane of the bottoms of said end sections.

3. A syrup pan or box comprising duplicate side sections and an intermediate flue section interlocked with said side sections and having its ends formed to receive closures, closures for said ends, and locking members having oppositely turned flanges. one flange of each member engaging said closures and the other flange of each member uniting said side sections and said flue sections and disposed in substantially the plane of the bottom walls of said end sections.

4. In a pan or syrup box, in combination, a flue section consisting of connected flue units, each having overlapped end portions, and an individual closure adapted for engagement between the overlapped end portions of each flue unit.

5. In a syrup pan, in combination, a flue section consisting of connected flue units, each having overlapped end portions, an individual closure adapted for engagement between the overlapped end portions of each flue unit, and having a flange at one end providin a guiding recess, and a locking member isposed in said guiding recesses for retaining said closures in interlocked assembly.

6. In a syrup pan, having a flue section consisting of connected flue units, each unit having its side walls extended and oven lapped at its ends, an individual closure for each flue end and consisting of a member having .flanged sides adapted to be entered and guided between said overlapping portions and having a flange at its free end providing a guiding recess, and a locking strip disposed in said guiding recesses for retaining said closures in interlocked assembly.

7. A syrup pan comprising duplicate side sections including each a side wall, a bottom part, spaced flue walls and a top flue portion, an intermediate flue section comprising connected flue units having overlapped end portions and having top portions adapted to interlock with the top portions of the side sections, individual closures adapted for lodgment between said overlapped end portions of the flues and having horizontally disposed flanged portions defining guides disposed in mutual alinement, and longitudinally extending locking strips having engagement with sald side sections and having portions disposed in said alined guides and interlocked therewith.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES F. PURINT'ON.

Witnesses:

JOHN P. LONG, ELWIN D. BROWN. 

